Search This Blog

Subscribe to this blog

Get updates delivered to your email!

Leadbolt Ads - 3 steps to making the most of it!

There are many money making with advertising options available for android developers. There is the in-app model, such as Admob or Mobfox. Then there are the app wall options like those provided by AppBrain.

My favourite ad provider, Leadbolt has the most types of ad formats available. It is also the option for generating the most revenue! You should register now and start using Leadbolt in your apps!

This post shows how you can best optimise your Leadbolt notification ads and how to maximise your revenue and eCPM.

Set up

In your Leadbolt "Apps" tab, you will have options to select the types of ads. I pretty much ignore all the other ad types, except Notification (SDK) ads. I have tried the other ad types, but the revenue has been so bad, that I might as well have no ads!

Anyway, my strategy has been to always create 3 type of notification ads. The following will define all the three types, and how you can set them up.

1 - On Start of App - Type: On Demand

This ad is loaded once whenever the user starts the application. In your main forms's Activity_Create sub, create the Leadbolt variable, and call this ad unit. This type of ad generates the most revenue for me, as users get one notification, and their interest is at the highest, making them want to check out the ad.

2 - Scheduled - Type: Recurring Ad

This ad is scheduled to show up every X hours (you define the hours, with a minimal of 12 hours for each ad). This way, the user is shown one notification every 12 hours. This also generates quite a fine revenue gains. I usually set mine to start within an hour of app launch, and recur every 12 hours.

3 - When the phone restarts - Type: Recurring Ad

This ad is set to go off Y minutes after the phone is restarted / booted up, and recur every X hours. I usually set this one to start off after about 5 minutes, and the recur every 12 hours. I am not sure if this option is available with the official Leadbolt library, I created my own wrapper library which allows me to use the library in a service module (which can be used for boot up). If there is a demand for it, I will release the library on the Basic4Android forum (remember to purchase with the links on the top right of this website if you decide to buy B4A!). This ad type still gives me some revenue, though not as much as the others.

Handling the users

Now, notification ads has gained much negative responses from users. Many people do not like the idea of this type of ad.

This is a new ad type, and the users will over time get used to it. Who knows, one day Google might just remove it altogether from the apps?

The developer has to be responsible up to some level. There are three ways that you can go about with this.

1 - Make sure your app description in the market states that notification ads are used in the app. The user therefore has an option to download or not your app, and I feel this is a fair warning to the users.

2 - This is a new strategy that I am about to implement in my new applications, therefore the return is not tested yet. Whenever the user runs the app for the first time, I will ask the user if they would like to opt-in for the notification ads to help the developer to continue releasing free apps, and I will highlight that there will be no more than 1 or 2 ads per day (depending on the type of app and the setup). If the user decides not to opt in, well, then I will let them use the app without notification ads. There will stil be in-app ads anyway. This should gain you many happy users, and hopefully some users will understand the need to support the notification ads and opt in!

3 - Another approach is on first run, inform the users that notification ads are in use with the app, and if they are not agreeable to it, give them an uninstall option. This would help the users to uninstall the app directly before you send them any ads.

Conclusion

Leadbolt has been really great in revenue generation. They have a whole lots of ad types ( I am waiting for their Sign Up ad format! ), and their support is top-notch!

I'd suggest you give the notification ads a try, and do give some feedback on how it goes and if there is any way I can be of help.

When releasing a new app, it is understood that it will rank far down the food chain. After all, your app is new and unproven just yet.

What Google has done on the Play store is that they have given new app an opportunity to live, a chance to get to a more respectable place in the world of the unknown, the Google Play ranking algorithm.

Good looks go a long way in getting downloads for your apps. I'm a fan of looking out for beautiful app designs. I've looked at so many apps, gotten so much inspiration, but have yet to achieve anything that I can be proud of.

Blame genetics if you must. I am a developer, and although I play the guitar and love music and beautiful art and images (even tried photography once), I suck in the design area. I can give an idea, a design, but cant execute it. I'm a coder damnit!